Mar. 15, 2007
Allard Beutel/Sonja Alexander
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-4769/1761
Tracy Young
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
Lynnette Madison
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
RELEASE: 07-65
NASA SPACE STATION MODULE IN PERFECT "HARMONY" WITH NEW NAME
Ever since it was designed for the International Space Station, it has
been known as the Node 2 module. Now thanks to students from across
the United States, Node 2 also will be known as "Harmony."
At an event Thursday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., NASA
announced the new name. Harmony is being prepared at Kennedy for its
space shuttle Atlantis flight, designated STS-120, targeted for
launch in 2007. Members of the STS-120 crew and managers who are
preparing Harmony for launch took part in the naming event.
The name was chosen from an academic competition involving more than
2,200 kindergarten through high school students from 32 states. The
Node 2 Challenge required students to learn about the space station,
build a scale model and write an essay explaining their proposed name
for the module that will serve as a central hub for science labs.
"With this competition and similar ones, NASA continues its tradition
of investing and engaging in the nation's education programs. These
types of academic competitions involve students, educators, families
and the general public and help them participate in our nation's
space exploration program," said Joyce Winterton, assistant
administrator for Education.
Six different schools submitted "Harmony." A panel of NASA educators,
engineers, scientists and senior agency management selected "Harmony"
because the name symbolizes the spirit of international cooperation
embodied by the space station, as well as the module's specific role
in connecting the international partner modules.
The winning schools are:
-- Paul Cummins' 8th Grade class at Browne Academy, Alexandria, Va.
-- Sue Wilson's 3rd grade class at Buchanan Elementary School, Baton
Rouge, La.
-- Brigette Berry's 8th grade class at League City Intermediate
School, League City, Texas
-- Bradley Neu's 9th grade science class at Lubbock High School,
Lubbock, Texas
-- Russell Yocum's 3rd Grade class at West Navarre Intermediate
School, Navarre, Fla.
-- David Dexheimer's students at the World Group Home School, Monona,
Wis.
Harmony was built for NASA in Europe. It is approximately 21 feet long
and 14 feet in diameter. The pressurized module will act as an
internal connecting port and passageway to additional international
science labs and cargo spacecraft. In addition to increasing the
living and working space inside the station, it also will serve as a
work platform outside for the station's robotic arm.
"This module will allow all international partner pieces of the
station to connect together, so it's really wonderful that kids
recognize that harmony is necessary for space cooperation," said Bill
Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations.
Harmony joins three other named U.S. modules on the station: the
Destiny laboratory, the Quest airlock and the Unity node. This is the
first U.S. piece of the space station named by people outside of
NASA.
Using space shuttles to finish construction of the International Space
Station is a key step in America's long-term exploration strategy,
which includes plans to venture beyond Earth orbit for purposes of
human exploration and scientific discovery. The space station is a
crucial test bed for those future exploration missions.
Video of the name announcement event will air on NASA Television's
Video File. For NASA TV downlink, streaming video and scheduling
information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
For more information about the Node 2 Challenge, visit the NASA
Exploring Space Challenges Web site:
http://esc.nasa.gov/
For more information on the station and the Harmony module, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
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